Art of refrigeration



-J. REBSAMEN.

ART OF REFRlGERATION.

APPLICATION FILED 050.29.1920.

- Pat ented. Aug. 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1. RE BSAMEN. ART OF REFRIGERATION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.29, I920.

Patented Aug. 8, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- nitrite.

entrain JULIUS RLEBSAMEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ART OF REFRIGERATION;

In the usual refrigeration process for the production, of ice, tanks oflarge size are required as containers for the brine by which the waterto be frozen is cooled, the water being contained in relatively smallcans for the production of can ice, or inv large cans of great lengthfor the production of plate ice, these water containers beingimmersed inthe brine tanks. The brine is,-inturn, cooled by a refrigerant passedthrough coils immersed in, it. By reason of their largesize these brinetanks are expensive inconstruction and mustbe of strength suflicientfor. supporting the.

great, quantit of brine used. Likewise, where water is frozen byrefrigerating coils immersed init, as in ice skatingrinks, the tanksutilized for thewater mustbe sufliciently deep for the reception of thecooling coils, thereby necessitating-theuse and cooling of relativelylarge quantities, of water and the construction of largeand deep tanks.

the present invention it is possible to utilize shallow tanks of waterwhere large sheets are to be frozen or to dispenseentirely' with the useof brinetanksjwhere ice is to be produced in cans or plates.Furthermore, the low temperature of the atmosphere, may be utilized inthe present operation to-effect or aid in effecting the freezingprocess. Further advantages of the present invention will be clearlyindicated by the description thereof hereinafter given.

In accordance with the present invention the formation of ice iseffected by directing against the water container jets or, sprays of acold cooling liquid, such as brine and withdrawing. the cooling liquid,which may, if desired, be again cooled and reused. The spraying of thewater container with the cooling liquid is continued until the water inthe container has been completely frozen and converted into ice of theproper temperature.

Specification" of Letters Patent.' Patentqgd Aug, 8 11922,, Applicationand December 29, 1920. Serial nc. 433,763.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated an apparatus suitablefor practicing my invention. In these drawings Figures land 2 illustraterespectively. the left and right portions of a sectional viewof a plantfor carrying out the invention, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line'33 of Fig. 1. 7

Referring more particularly to the draws ings, the numeral 10 indicatesa building suitable for housing the apparatus for carrying out theprocess. In this building a relativelylarge chamber 11 is set or bypartitions 12 and 13, preferably of heat insulatingmaterial, and islikewise lined with heat insulating materiahas at I l, 15 and lo. Thebottom of this chamber is drained, preferably by inclining it from theends to the center, where a transverse trough or drain 17 is provided.The chamber is supported in. any suitable manner, for example, ontransverse joists 1.8. Y i

lnthe upper part of the chamber 11 the cans '19 are supported on spacedchanneliron beams 20. Somewhat below the cans 19 and preferably betweenthe transverse rows of the cans the transverse brine pipes 21 arearranged, these pipes being provided with spray nozzles 22; Thearrangement of the brine pipes and'sprayfnozzles issuch that the spraysof brine from the nozzlesare distributed as uniformly as possible overthe sides and botto nof the cans. The sprayed brine is withdrawn fromthe cans by the action of the force of gravity,fall-' ing down over thelongitudinally arranged guides 23, which direct the brine into thetrough-like distributors 26, each of "which is arranged over averticalrefrigerating coil 27, in such manner that the brine is caused to flowover the coils in its descent. These coils, which may be, for example,the expansion coils of an ammonia compression refrigerating system, aresupplied and discharged through headers 28 and 29 respectively.

The brine, which has descended in 'contact with the refrigerating coils,falls to the bottom of the chamber, where it'drains into the trough ordrain 17, which is protected by a screen cover 30,. In this trough is aperforated pipe 31, which is connected to the intake of a pump 32. The.discharge of this pump is connected to the header 33, which supplies thespray pipes 21. The

pump and the connections therewith external- 1 to the insulated chamber.5 maybe thenmally insulated in any esired manner.

At the end of the freezing chamber-plat and separated from it bypartition 12 are we; rarezsed:i hesh s e d; 5/- enarated'by a'horizontalportion 36. These chambers are like chamber 11 completely enclosed bythermal insulating material.

AfiopeningBZ- isjp rovided" between the upper.

chamber. 843' and the upper-portion of the chamber 1 1, and an opening38 provided w i hfaidwr 39 s pan a m h gp r i on 36f betweenlcliambrs'34 and 35. Fans 40 are locate d inithe chamber 35 which draw theairfrom within that compartment and discharge it through 41 into thereweri s. ,q hamberin. hi h h refrigerating coilsare provided. Openings42fa1rri43" reprdvi agd from chambers 34 wa as: epa rs el. he. f he eiiiinsf h wl i i' he ppar tus is hou ed; Whichbpeningsare provided withremovi-j b save s! an j re pe i y 'IEhe freezing chamber ll is coveredbyv a stop ma d preferably in transverse remq iw i ec s a e c ip j iinimoval; a top section afi'ords access" to they ro 1 a wi h, a ern s a519? 11 pe t n u d 2 1? x rn mos: new fbriiitid he. as re fi l d. th iiiir feed he" c amber ein over d; ji b n i i i' h s pray Pipe in a' fi mdowjn the] sides of the cans, with new a heat i x f hl'wa er 0y 1 itssides and at its; bottom, The brine dlj s froinjthe cans up onthe guides28 and c itethed tr bu n o h 6; hi l i ribut h ir); overfi th fl e fetie ls Th b iwi' fi led y he w le, 'in his t .d i P Q i id t QQ iQm. v0fthef hem sr draining the trough 17. From ,here the ed it i it drawn by,pwi r. 323m; eeag i sdgili a p ay..ag s f he n the he epe r it n, fi ebhmbet h n the external'atmosphere is "very "cold; for ini eeje il lii ieij l. P rmits. t eir 3 moval 'from the freezing chamber for fill j "not?were afllsedf e m ng lfine srray. j ipbeh es" 1 he. ane Ui d he". rationf, a ty he. inefl s.

nj yia fif f l llu in in a, f rthe edi (5ft i aaz q stance,.at 15 F. orbelow, it may be used to aid; the action ogthe refrigerant. in coils 27or even to entirely supplant the use of the refrigerant in the followingmanner.

by the'cu rren-t; De n. The air then circulates aroundthecans, aidingin-cooling them,

having been saturated wi-th moisture by its contact with the brine andpasses out through opening 37 into compartment 34+ and from thereinto'the open air. The circulation of thevbrineis the same as; before. J

Removal-and replacement of-the cans is efi'ected by means of a crane 47'which travels on" longitudinal; rails48. By this crane cans of iceareawi thdrawn from the freezing chamber 11 after-removal of thecorresponding 'top'sectionf-46, taken to the thawing chamber 49'andqfrom there to the tilting platform-50, where the ice is dischargedand the cansrefilled with water from the tank 51, The cans-are thenreturned by thev crane,

to the freezingchamber; 1

'Itisyreadily apparent that thepresentr invention may be utilized for;the freezing of;'-plateice or for'the, formation oian extended icesurface in a shallow water con-1 -ta-1ner,, as in, skating rinks, or maybe -other,

wise utilized in refr igeratingoperations Although the present"invention vhas: been described and illustrated in connection with aspecific :embodimentthereof, it isnot intended that the specific detailsofapparatus or procedure ,iar'e tohe -regarded as limitar tions-uponthescope of the invention, except as included"; in theaccompanying claims Iclaim:

,1 refrigerating apparatus, a liquid 7 container, means for sprayingaicooling liquid against the container, cooling; means below thecontainer, means for collecting :the sprayed liquid and distributing itover, the cooling means, means for; returning 1 it after cooling I to i,the spraying means, and means for passinggair over the cooling'me'ansand circulating it about the container.

2. In refrigeiiating-apparatus, a chamber, liqluidi'zontai'n'e'rs-supported therein, coils be Low'th'e containers, 'meansforspraying brine againstthe containers, means-forcor lectingthe sprayedbrine anddistributing, it over the (coils, means for passing air overthe ficoils' in contact with the brine during passage'over the coils,andmeans for col lecting"'the,j brine after passage over; the

' coils and 'returningit to thespraying means,

31 In refrigerating apparatus, a freezing compartment," the bottom'thereof being inclined to a drain, liquid containers supported in theupper part of said compartment, means for spraying brine against thecontainers, coils below the containers, guides between the containersand the coils for collecting the sprayed brine and distributing it overthe coils, means for withdrawing the brine from the bottom drain andreturning it to the spraying means, and means for forcing external airinto the lower part of the compartment over said coils.

4. In refrigerating apparatus, a freezing compartment, containerssupported in the upper part thereof, means for spraying brine againstthe containers, cooling coils in the lower part of the compartment,means for collecting the sprayed brine and distributing it over thecoils, means for collecting the brine at the bottom of the compartmentand returning it to the spraying means, communicating compartmentsadjacent the freezing compartment, one of said compartmentscommunicating with the upper portion and the other with the lowerportion of the freezing compartment, and means located in one of saidcompartments for withdrawing air from the upper portion of the freezingcompartment and returning it to the lower portion thereof.

5. In refrigerating apparatus, a freezing compartment, containerssupported in the upper part thereof, means for spraying brine againstthe containers, cooling coils in the lower part of the compartment,means for collecting the sprayed brine and distributing it over thecoils, means for collecting the brine at the bottom of the compartmentand returning it to the spraying means, communicating compartmentsadjacent the freezing compartment, one of said compartmentscommunicating with the upper portion and the other with the lowerportion of the freezing compartment, means for closing communicationbetween said adjacent compartments, means for establishing communicationbetween each of said compartments and the exterior, and a fan in thecompartment communicating with the lower portion of the freezingcompartment, whereby air may be circulated from the upper to the lowerportion of the freezing compartment or external air may be introducedinto the lower portion thereof, according to the arrangement of thecommunications of the adjacent compartments with each other and with theexterior.

I JULIUS RE'B SAMEN.

